The authentic priest "is a mediator very close to his people," an official instead just does his job, but then moves onto another "always as an official", "he does not know what it means to get his hands dirty" be in the midst of reality. And that is why when "the priest changes from official to intermediary he is not happy, he is sad." And looks for a little bit of happiness "in being seen, making his authority felt".

In homage to Mary in Piazza di Spagna, Pope Francis ideally brings the entire city of Rome and the world. He calls for an “immaculate heart” to love without" masks and ruses”. He asserts the certainty of grace that wins over "discouragement". Afterwards, he visited S. Maria Maggiore.

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis compares man’s ‘No’ before God to Mary’s ‘great Yes", "the most important in history”. We are "experts in half Yeses" or ‘missed Yeses’. He also mentioned the victims of the earthquake in Aceh (Indonesia), and invited the faithful to attend the homage to Mary in Piazza di Spagna this afternoon. The pope will also visit S. Maria Maggiore.

In an interview with a Belgian weekly, Francis criticises laicism that “closes the doors to transcendence”, which instead is part of the human essence. "[N]o religion as such can foment war. Because in this case it would be proclaiming a god of destruction, a god of hatred." Synodality does not mean “descend[ing] from high to low”; it means instead “listen[ing] to the Churches, harmonis[ing] them, discern[ing]."

"May the Lord give us this grace, to wait for Christmas with our wounds, with our sins, sincerely recognized, to wait for the power of this God who comes to console, who comes with power, but his power is tenderness, caresses born from his heart, which was so good that he have his life for us. "

"God created the world; man fell into sin; Jesus comes to re-create the world. " The Lord "help us to prepare for Christmas with great faith", "because the healing of the soul, for the existential healing, the re-creation that Jesus brings takes great faith."

“It is to leave the convenient but misleading streets, the idols of this world – success at all costs, power at the expense of the weak, thirst for wealth, pleasure at any price –and open instead the way for the Lord who comes. He does not take away our freedom, but gives us true happiness."

Today marks the hundredth anniversary of the assassination of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, which took place in Algeria on December 1, 1916. He was "a man who overcame so much resistance and gave a witness that has done so much good for the Church. We ask you to bless us from heaven and help us to walk in your footsteps of poverty, contemplation and service to the poor ".

"Those who have the gift of being able to study also have a responsibility to serve for the good of humanity. Knowledge is an easy path to the integral development of society". "In the modern concept of the intellectual, working for the realization of self and in search of personal recognition, often without care for their neighbor, it is necessary to counter with a model built on solidarity, which works for the common good and for peace". Through "viable employment opportunities" in society, you can avoid the so-called 'brain drain'.

‘Led by the Spirit for Mission’ is Francis’s message for the 54th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. “Commitment to mission is not something added on to the Christian life as a kind of decoration, but is instead an essential element of faith itself. A relationship with the Lord entails being sent out into the world as prophets of his word and witnesses of his love.”

At the conclusion of the cycle of catechesis dedicated to the works of mercy, Francis reminds people to pray for the living and for the dead. "Even today there are those who risk their lives to bury the poor victims of war". Best wishes to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Saint Andrew. Appeals for AIDS sufferers and to protect the cultural heritage in war zones.

Only the little ones "are capable of understanding" fully "the sense of humility", the "sense of fear of the Lord" because "they walk before the Lord," watched over and shielded. This is “not the humility of the one who said: 'I am humble, but proud of it'."

Pray with vigilance, be industrious in charity and exultant in praise of the Lord. These are the attitudes to be kept in a period in which the liturgy proposes numerous encounters of Jesus within his Mother's womb, with St. John the Baptist, with the shepherds, with the Wise Men.

Speaking to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences Francis returns to highlight how "the he submission of politics to a technology and an economy which seek profit" is demonstrated by the failure or delay in implementing the agreements on environmental protection or the "continued wars of domination camouflaged by righteous claims".

In the first Angelus of Advent, Pope Francis said that "the Lord’s visit with humanity", at Christmas, also takes place "every day" and will occur when "He will come in glory to judge the living and the dead." "The Gospel does not want to frighten us, but for us to widen our horizons". "... Our Lady help us to not consider ourselves owners of our lives, not to resist when the Lord comes to change it".

His body will be cremated today. He led the island for 50 years. In 2008 he passed the presidency to his brother Raul. He attempted to export the Marxist revolution to Latin America and Africa. Some economic and social achievements at home, along with a heavy oppression of human rights. The disappearance of myth after the fall of the USSR. The Catholic Church and the Popes, catalysts of a transformation on the island nation.

Never talk with the devil, he is a "liar" and "swindler", "seeking our ruin" and for "this will be thrown into the abyss." If "we open our hearts", as Jesus asks us, and we do not go our way, we will have "joy and salvation."

"Corruption is the path to living in blasphemy, corruption is a form of blasphemy." "The voice of God when he speaks to the heart is like this: like vibrating silence." And this invitation to the "wedding of the lamb" will be in the end, "our salvation."

Francis met with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang. The meeting stressed the “constant search for the most appropriate tools to advance” bilateral relations as well as “The collaboration between Church and State in various domains of local society”.

As Iraqi troops advance in the Nineveh Plain and Mosul, a new wave of refugees could overshadow the fate of other refugees who found hospitality in Kurdistan. People need kerosene, winter clothes, aid for children, and money for rent. The campaign AsiaNews launched two years ago is more urgent than ever. Give up a superfluous gift to offer refugees an essential gift for life.

In a letter Fr. Samir Youssef describes the situation of refugees, exiled from their home for more than two years. They are closely following the offensive to retake Mosul, although their homes and churches "are for the most part" burned or destroyed. With the arrival of winter there is a serve lack of heating oil, clothes, food and money to pay for their children’s school bus. An appeal to continue to support the AsiaNews campaign.

"They are a sign that we want to know God, Jesus, and the mystery of his love for us better and more deeply " but "doubts must also be overcome." Lack of education is a source of discrimination and thus of injustice . "The Church, over the centuries, has felt the need to engage in education because her mission of evangelization entails the commitment to restore dignity to the poor".

“If each of us is faithful to the Lord, when death comes, we shall say as Francis said, 'sister death, come' ... We are not scared. And when the day of judgment comes, we shall look to the Lord: 'Lord, I have so many sins, but I tried to be faithful'. And the Lord is good.”

"The three themes announced above are intended to give a clear Marian tone to the spiritual journey of the next three WYDs. At the same time they give a picture of young people on a journey between the past (2017), present (2018) and future (2019), inspired by the three theological virtues of faith, charity and hope".

The newly-elected president reiterates his defense for the American economy. The fears of Asian economies, that have boomed thanks to exports to the US. At the APEC gathering China offers itself as the new center for continental economy. But there are countries which fear its supremacy.

Mgr Fisichella noted that between 56 and 62 per cent of the world’s Catholic population took part in the event. A total of 21,292,926 pilgrims came to Rome from 156 countries around the world. ""One thing is certain with this Jubilee, namely that mercy has become the protagonist, at least for a year, of the daily life of Christians.”

The apostolic letter "Misericordia et miserable" shows how to pour out the "extraordinary" Jubilee into everyday life. The need to energize the world with the experience of mercy in order to heal grief and despair. No mention of illegal Chinese bishops. Everything comes back to the "center" of Christianity, which is the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. A turning point to relaunch society and dialogue between the conservatives and progressives within the Church.

In the apostolic letter "Misericordia et miserable" Francis writes that for the Church, mercy "constitutes its very existence." "There is no law or precept can prevent God from once more embracing the son who returns to him". Mercy - key of the relationship between God and man – should permeate the life and activity of the Christian community and pastors. A World Day of the Poor.

As Iraqi troops advance in the Nineveh Plain and Mosul, a new wave of refugees could overshadow the fate of other refugees who found hospitality in Kurdistan. People need kerosene, winter clothes, aid for children, and money for rent. The campaign AsiaNews launched two years ago is more urgent than ever. Give up a superfluous gift to offer refugees an essential gift for life.

In a letter Fr. Samir Youssef describes the situation of refugees, exiled from their home for more than two years. They are closely following the offensive to retake Mosul, although their homes and churches "are for the most part" burned or destroyed. With the arrival of winter there is a serve lack of heating oil, clothes, food and money to pay for their children’s school bus. An appeal to continue to support the AsiaNews campaign.